A bereaved dad whose daughter was found dumped at a memorial in Scotland has lashed out at authorities after a probe into her death was re-opened.
Gordon Johnstone, 44, fears the fresh investigation into the death of Annalise Johnstone, 22, will lead nowhere.
Earlier this year, Annalise’s brother Jordan Johnstone, 25, and his girlfriend Angela Newlands, 29, walked free from court after being charged with her murder.
This was despite Johnstone telling the High Court in Livingston that he had dumped his sister's body at Maggie Wall's memorial in Dunning, Perthshire, the Daily Record reports .
Residents in the Perthshire village say police have been carrying out fresh searches of fields close to the memorial, where a woman is said to have been burned after being accused of witchcraft.
Mr Johnstone, of Fauldhouse in West Lothian, said: “This is the first I’m hearing about it but it’s not surprising.
“However, I’ve lost all faith in the police being able to find out what happened and the Crown getting a successful prosecution. I don’t think it’s ever been treated seriously enough because Annalise was a traveller.
“If she’d been a doctor or lawyer, I’m sure authorities would have treated it seriously from the start and someone would be in jail.
“We all know there are just two people who know what happened to Annalise – Jordan and Angela Newlands.”
Annalise’s body was found with her throat cut in May 2018.
Newlands, who has a host of violent and dishonest convictions, was cleared in May this year of Annalise’s murder due to insufficient evidence.
The mother of four was then blamed by her partner, Johnstone, for the gruesome killing.
Johnstone, 25, who admitted carrying his dead sister’s body for two miles and dumping her by a roadside, was also cleared of murder after the jury returned a controversial not proven verdict.
He said Newlands cut his sister’s throat with a Stanley knife and he had remained in a car with Newlands’ sleeping children.
He said he later carried his sister’s body for about 40 minutes before dumping it behind a wall about two miles away because he feared Newlands’ father was going to “chop my wee sister up and throw her away”.
The prosecution and defence both agreed Johnstone’s car was near the Maggie Wall memorial at the time Annalise was attacked.
No murder weapon has ever been found.
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